3…2…1…Blast Off! It’s World Space Week (Oct. 4 -10) and Hasbro wants to bring fans on an exploration of outer space. Hasbro Gaming has launched their Space Capsule including Monopoly Space, Battleship Outer Space and Trouble: On the Moon.
The Battleship Outer Space 2-player board game presents a head-to-head battle on 3 layers. In this twist on classic Battleship gameplay, players search for the enemy’s fleet of spaceships and vaporize them one by one. Each player sets up their 5 spaceships anywhere on their 3 sectors. Opponents hunt them down by calling out the sector, and an entire row or column. Who can find and vaporize all of the opponent’s spaceships to win the game? Available exclusively at Target.
In the Trouble: On the Moon Edition board game, players imagine being moon mission astronauts who need to race to safety. They need to move quickly using space tethers, and watch for low fuel, fresh oxygen, and a moving rover on the Action die. The first player to get to their airlock wins the game. Game features the iconic Pop-O-Matic dice roller. Available exclusively at Target.
In the Monopoly Space board game. Players travel around the gameboard buying and selling planets, mining resources, and setting up their colony. For a player to start creating a colony, they have to collect 3 resources and then “burn” them by returning them to the Bank in exchange for a dome. Collect all 5 domes to get closer to the win…but watch out! Landing on an Action space can set you back or move you forward in an instant. Available exclusively at Target.
Staying at home for months on end has had us all online, and shopping online, a lot more. Our DC Editor Meghan Yudes Meyers feels us. A working mom with two kids, we asked Meghan for her top 12 products that have gotten her through the pandemic, the summer, and beyond. Read on to hear more from Meghan.
As a working mom of six-year-old twins, I’ve spent the past five months feeling a little bit like I’m on the ultimate episode of Survivor. Like you, I’ve navigated the new challenges (and adventures!) that come with raising kids in a pandemic world. I’ve brushed up on ways for us to stay healthy and invested in products that allow us to enjoy our home in new ways. Below are some of my favorite mom hacks and survival gear for quarantine life with kids. Scroll on for my must-haves to help get you through another week!
Healthy Measures
Suds2Go
For years, wipes were my can't-live-without mom crutch. But these days, my Kinders don't appreciate me pulling out a pack of wet ones. Enter Suds2Go. It's a portable hand washing station that makes cleaning up on-the-go a cinch. Officials tout that hand washing is the best defense against viruses, but even if a restroom is open (and most aren't) I aim to avoid these germ havens. Suds2Go is now a permanent fixture in my mom bag.
My kids are still at the touch everything phase, so I've been avoiding trips to doctors' offices like the plague. I read about a simple device that can help me gauge whether respiratory issues require a trip to our ped or the local ER; it's an Oximeter Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor. By slipping this meter on the end of your finger, you can quickly check a heart rate and oxygen saturation. I purchased one made for kids, but it works for everyone in our family.
If you have school-age kids, chances are they will be spending the majority of their school day online this fall. These glasses work for those that don't have a prescription for eyewear, but still want to protect their eyes (and mind) from the harmful effects of blue light.
The Nature Anywhere Window lets you turn any room of your house into a wildlife observatory. Simply wet the suction cups and slap this bird feeder onto any glass surface; voila instant home viewing! It took the birds in our hood a few days to feel comfortable eating at our eye level, but they soon learned we were harmless. We even got two different bird nests in our yard!
Some of our favorite places have still not opened, so I've done my best to replicate those experiences within our four walls (and, lucky for us, in a backyard). We got a supersized bound house so that each kid would have enough room to bounce without jumping into one another. We're looking forward to the day when we can jump with friends, too (yes! It's big enough for that, too).
We've been finding new ways to make our outdoor activities more interesting... and educational. These magnifying glasses have become a must on our nature walks. But when we want to get a better look at the birds or a distant landscape, we pull out our binoculars or this telescope.
We're spending as much time outside as possible, but while we welcome the fresh air, we don't always want to be in the sun's direct rays. I can skip slathering the kids in sunblock with this portable tent. It's perfect for quite classroom activities, like reading and painting.
We've logged an excess number of hours at home so far this year, so I plan on trying to make our classroom as mobile as possible this fall. This caddy tote let's each of my kiddos bring their necessary supplies with them. We can easily relocate from the dining room table to our maker space to our outdoor classroom with all our necessary supplies.
I'm obsessed with this double-sided magnetic wipe board that let's my kids work on their individual educational needs at... get this... the same time. You can use dry erase pens to practice letters, sight words, numbers and math problems. Or get into some STEM fun with magnet play.
Like a lot of parents, I'm experimenting with new ways to carve out work time from home. While Disney+ has been a go-to for Zoom calls, I've been trying to find more ways to keep my kids occupied without using screens. Both my littles love games and puzzles, so these brain challenges by SmartGames build cognitive skills while also increasing their confidence; they can be done independently!
My kids are creative bundles of energy; give them some craft supplies, and they are self-sufficient for a solid 60 (at least!). I love all of OOLY products because they feature bright, vibrant colors, but these colored pencils are some of my faves. With two kids heading off to Kinder soon, pencils let them practice the fine motor skills they'll need in (or out of) the classroom. And with more control over their art work, they are able to master more difficult drawings.
These days, headphones are a must in our house. They let my kids rock out on their electric guitars while I'm busy on my computer. They also come in handy for letting kids watch a movie by themselves or getting joining an online Zoom class without retreating to a different room.
During pregnancy, expectant mothers go above and beyond to ensure the health and safety of their unborn children. Everything comes under diligent scrutiny, from what they eat to what skincare products they use and everything in between. If you’re expecting, this probably sounds very familiar to you! What is unfamiliar to pregnant women everywhere, however—regardless of whether this is their first pregnancy—is the “X factor” of the coronavirus pandemic.
How can you protect yourself and your pregnancy during the COVID-19 outbreak? Here are some essential things to add to your pregnancy-care regimen and protect your pregnancy with these 5 tips.
1.Get a pulse oximeter: Hypoxemia (a below-normal level of oxygen in your blood) is one of the signs of serious illness with COVID-19. You can pick up a pulse oximeter for around $50 and take regular readings of your pulse and oxygen saturation. Get a baseline so that you know if something looks off. A baseline for healthy people is 90 or higher. When we see below 90, we start getting concerned.
2.Check for fever: Whether you have a fancy new thermometer that reads from the forehead or an old-school glass one where the mercury rises, take your temperature regularly to make sure you aren’t experiencing a fever.
3.Keep surfaces tidy for easy cleaning: Keeping tidy may not seem like a health tip for pregnancy, but in the days of COVID-19 it absolutely is. You want the surfaces in your home to be able to easily be wiped down and disinfected frequently—at least once a day.
4.If you choose to travel, choose safely: For example, you might choose to visit a loved one in a remote rural town with few to no COVID-19 cases, but don’t travel somewhere that you’ll be interacting with a lot of people.
5.Keep your distance: How close is too close? Can you smell the other person’s detergent, deodorant, or shampoo? That’s too close! And for some extra protection when you are going to be around other people, wear a mask. It’s an additional safety measure that can only help you and your baby.
Along with the healthy eating and label reading you’re already doing, adding these tips as “must-dos” to your pregnancy care will help you protect the health and safety of your unborn child. Plus, it will also help you to breathe easier and relax into your pregnancy as much as you can. Knowing you’re creating the safest, happiest, and healthiest environment for yourself and your baby will provide some comfort and peace of mind during this uncertain time in history.
An obstetrician and maternal mortality expert, “Rural Doc” Alan Lindemann, M.D. teaches women and families how to create the outcomes they want for their own health and pregnancy. In nearly 40 years of practice, he has delivered around 6,000 babies and achieved a maternal mortality rate of zero! Visit LindemannMD.com
I am a 42-year-old biological mother of two young children in a same-sex relationship, a clinical psychologist with a specialty in neuropsychological assessment, a music therapist, a trainer of therapy dogs and ex-communicated Mormon from Indiana with a wicked sense of humor.
From the early days of diapers to the challenges of raising a teen, there’s no doubt that parenting is hard work. And, while there are plenty of positive phrases available to help boost your kids’ self-confidence, it’s the self-care ideas for parents that sometimes take a back seat. To help you keep your own tank full, we found a few words of encouragement parent needs to hear on the regular. Keep reading to see them all.
You don't need to be a perfect parent to be a good parent.
Whoever wrote "practice makes perfect" most certainly wasn't a parent. According to Tamsen Firestone, writer of "Daring to Love" and editor-in-chief of PsychAlive.org, says there's no such thing as being a perfect parent. But you can be a good parent, even when you feel like life is far from perfect. If your kids' needs are being met, if they have clothes, food, love and attention, chances are, you're a good parent.
It's hard to believe you're a great parent when your kids are constantly crying about having to eat their veggies or when they're angry that you shut down screen time. Even though those moments are tough, know that your kids really do love you. They'll get over their frustration, but they'll never get over their love for you.
You will fall apart, and do it all wrong. Forgive yourself.
Parenting is a daily struggle in trying to do your best, for yourself and your kiddos. Don't expect the days to be filled with wins. In fact, writer Beth Woolsey points out that showing your kids how to keep going after getting it wrong is a wonderful gift of resiliency to give.
You can’t take care of your kids unless you take care of you first.
The safety instructions on an airplane always say that, in the event of an emergency, make sure to secure your own oxygen mask before putting one on your kids. That same idea applies in life. Every mom and dad wants their kiddos to be safe, but if you're not taking care of yourself, you'll never truly provide emotional support for them. Practice self-care by taking an hour to enjoy a bath or going out with friends. Make sure you never run out of oxygen as you parent.
It’s okay to not be madly in love with your children 24/7
It's tough when you're constantly bombarded with images on social media of the "perfect parents." But those images are not always real, and it's okay to not feel madly in love with (heck, even like) your kids on a minute-by-minute basis. Don't let social media make you feel like you're less of a parent because you're not publicly showcasing a family that's constantly madly in love.
Every parent has that day when it feels like you've failed at everything. Sometimes the best thing to hear is that you're doing a great job, despite the fact that it may not seem that way. At the end of the day, parents can only do their best. Do your best; it will be enough.
You don’t have to do it all. It's okay to ask for help.
Give yourself a break, and stop trying to do it all. Ask for help or use a service to help make your days easier. Do you feel like you never have time to grocery shop? Use Instacart or the online ordering and pick-up services that so many stores now offer. If cleaning your house takes too much time with little ones, hire a cleaning service to help once a month. Super parents don't exist—get help to make you the best parent you can be.
You don't need to spend every moment of the day with your kids so they know you love them. Make the time to engage in quality experiences. According to the Journal of Marriage and Family, things as simple as take time to read a book together before bed, or going for a family walk together, will matter more than spending all day, every day, with your kids.
We've all been there. The moment when you yet again find yourself engaged in a battle of wills with your kid. Sometimes it's tough to let go of the "little things," but when you find yourself stressed out and constantly battling with your little ones, maybe it's time to take a step back and focus on what will make your life easier. This doesn't mean you're a bad parent; it means you're choosing to focus on the bigger issues.
That expression about "time moving so fast" is true. Your kids will only be young for a short time. Leave the dishes in the sink. Wait another day to mow the lawn. Instead, play with your little ones. It’ll be good for all of you. You won't remember the dishes, but you'll remember those moments together.
Some expectant moms have their hospital bag sitting by the front door weeks in advance, while other moms throw a few things in their duffel bag as they’re timing contractions. No matter how prepared you are, it’s important to pack the essentials such as comfy pajamas, slippers, lip balm and according to one Wisconsin mom, a Nerf gun.
Samantha Mravik-Miller shared a photo to Facebook from her hospital bed after delivering her baby. Instead of a picture of her new baby, it was a picture of the Nerf gun she packed in her hospital bag to make sure her husband didn’t sleep through the night while she was awake with a newborn.
Having been through labor and delivery before, she knew what to expect. Mravik-Miller said, “This came about because when my son (who’s almost 6) was born my husband slept through him crying when we were in the hospital. I had lost my voice due to being on oxygen and one of the nights my call button was also out of reach. I remember having to throw an empty water bottle at him to try and wake him up to help me.”
This time around Mravik-Miller was having a scheduled c-section so she knew she would need more help than with her previous delivery. As she was picking up the house before leaving for the hospital she spotted the Nerf gun and thought to herself, “I’ll have better aim with this than a water bottle!”
After the excitement of welcoming her new son, Mravik-Miller forgot all about packing the Nerf gun until she asked her husband to grab something out of her bag. When he asked her about it, she said, “All the better to wake you with!”
Mravik-Miller is happy to report that no Nerf darts were used during her stay.
With winter comes that added chill in the air. Even if you live in a rainy climate, all those cozy fires and cranked-up heaters can really dry out your skin. These skin-savers are great for a quick solution to keep you looking your best without a ton of effort.
CELLrenew Collagen Infusion Serum
It’s anti-acne and anti-aging. Need we say more? Well, yes, it's not over drying so great for winter!
This little stick soothes under eye circles, polishes cheeks, treats shredded cuticles and tames flyaways. Oh, and it smells like a cookie. Great for travel.
Free of parabens, dyes, perfumes and more this little stick protects your lips from wintery weather and both indoor and outdoor hazards including pollution, blue light and infared heat. This little miracle balm will keep your lips kissable no matter the season. SPF 30.
From Gryph and Ivy Rose, this is high-performance, skin-saving balm that will change your winter hands, lips, face, nails, cuticles and even scars. Use as a spot treatment to get you through the dry winter months (and beyond).
The full collection of these luxe products include the Dreamsicle Cleanser, Mama's Lil Helper Papaya Enzyme Scrub, Night Night Cream, Sun Smoothie Natural SPF 45 and Mama's Miracle Oxygen Serum. The Mama Lé Full Collection 5 will set you back $304, but if you're looking for the ultimate skin-saving night cream, splurge on just the Night Night Cream. You'll wake up to softer, smoother,-looking skin after just one use. Safe for use during pregnancy and beyond.
As a parent, you’re going to worry. You’ll worry about concrete things like whether your baby has gotten enough to eat or if your toddler is warm enough without a jacket. You’ll worry about abstract things like if your child is happy or whether they’ll always “do the right thing.” And you’re going to worry about sleep. Especially when they are a newborn, you’re going to worry about sleep. It’s kind of ironic but some of the biggest worries during the newborn stage are likely to occur when your baby isn’t crying and is actually sleeping peacefully.
But the anxiety is real. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a terrifying reality that impacts over a thousand American families per year. While SIDS is the leading cause of death in babies under 1 year of age, most SIDS deaths (90%) occur in babies under 6 months of age.
There are many unknowns about SIDS—part of the reason why it is so frightening—but the truth is, there are many things parents can do to help prevent SIDS both during the highest-risk period and beyond.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), there are several things you can do to ensure your baby is sleeping as safely as possible.
Place your baby on their back to sleep
Ensure a firm, flat sleep surface
No loose bedding, soft objects, toys, or bumpers in the crib
Avoid the use of commercial devices inconsistent with safe sleep recommendations (only things labeled as a “crib,” “bassinet,” or “play yard” are approved for safe sleep)
Keep the bedroom/nursery temperature between 68°-72°F to allow for temperature regulation
Do not allow smoke around your baby
In addition to sharing what you can do to promote safe sleep, I want to tell you why safe sleep is so important. Knowledge is power and I truly believe that when we know better, we’ll do better!
Suffocation: Putting babies to sleep on their tummies, with blankets surrounding them, or even snuggled in a positioner-type “nest” can put your newborn at risk for suffocation. Stuffed animals, bumpers, and soft blankets certainly do make cribs look warm and cozy. But as boring as it sounds, a firm, flat mattress is the best and safest option for your little one. Infants can get tangled up in blankets and loose bedding and can have their airways blocked. When they are very little and not strong enough to free themselves on their own, anything extra in the crib poses a suffocation risk.
Note: When placing your baby to sleep in their crib or bassinet, you should always be placing them on their back. However, once your baby is able to roll both ways independently, most pediatricians agree that if they roll to their tummy, they are okay to stay there. Run it by your provider first!
Positional Asphyxiation: Sleeping on a firm, flat surface may not seem like a big deal, but when babies are placed to sleep at an incline, it can put them at risk for something called positional asphyxiation. Because babies’ heads are so large and heavy compared to the rest of their body, they are likely to flop forward when their bodies relax into sleep. Babies’ tracheas are also very small and this along with their lack of muscle strength and inability to control their head and neck can cause their airways to become blocked very easily. If you are looking for an alternative place to nap your baby outside of their nighttime sleep space, I would recommend a portable bassinet or play yard—both of which are safe and approved for sleep.
Carbon Dioxide Rebreathing: The concept of “carbon dioxide rebreathing” is why even things marketed as “breathable” are still not safe to use in your baby’s crib, your bed, or for any sleep situation. What many people don’t realize is that experts believe that carbon dioxide rebreathing is highly linked to SIDS. As your baby breaths in oxygen, they breathe out carbon dioxide. If their face is too close to fabric (like the side of a positioner or a bumper in the crib), that little space begins to fill with carbon dioxide which they will begin to inhale more than oxygen. This is also why it’s important to only have a firm mattress in your baby’s crib; softer materials like memory foam can create tiny air pockets that can increase the chances of carbon dioxide rebreathing.
Safe sleep is easily attainable and should be a non-negotiable in my book. I’m all for “you do you” when it comes to most things parenting; whether or not you want to have a medicated or unmedicated birth, breastfeed or formula feed, work in or out of the home, or even how you choose to discipline. But when it comes to sleep, I feel obligated to speak up about unsafe sleep practices. Please know, this does not come from a place of judgment or shame; it is my job to educate families on how to sleep safely because, frankly, lives depend on it!
When you’re in the throes of exhaustion, it can be very easy to rely on any variety of the devices and apparatuses that promise to help your baby sleep well. It can be tempting to bring your baby into bed with you at 3 a.m. when they just won’t fall asleep after a feeding or strap them into a swing because you know it can buy you an extra hour or two before they wake up again. Unfortunately, you now know that these are not safe sleep practices, and as parents, we have enough to worry about to spend time stressing about our babies’ safety when they’re sleeping. It is possible for your child to sleep well and safely and if you need any help, sleep coaches (like me) can help you achieve this.
Jamie is a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and offers personalized sleep solutions to exhausted families nationwide. With a background in child development and infant mental health, she keeps up to date on the latest evolutions in the field which allows her to blend technical knowledge with empathy and compassion to tailor her support.
Can exercise during pregnancy improve your kiddo’s motor skills after birth? New research published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that physical activity during pregnancy may influence the baby’s motor development—that is, for the better!
The researchers sectioned 71 pregnant women (ages 18 through 35) into two groups. One group engaged in 50 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity three times per week, while the other group didn’t exercise.
So what did the researchers find? The researchers evaluated each infant at one-month, using a motor scoring scale to analyze their development. The babies born to exercising mamas scored higher than those who were born to the mothers in the non-exercising group.
If you’re wondering what this means, it’s possible that infants who have better motor abilities will grow into children who also have better motor abilities. And this may make them more likely to engage in physical activity. In other words, no couch potatoes here.
Even though this study did find a connection between maternal exercise and infant motor development, the researchers didn’t find a cause for the results. It’s possible maternal blood flow increased during exercise, increasing blood and oxygen flow to the babies in utero. It’s also possible the changes in the infants’ motor development happened after birth. Whatever the reason, it looks like one thing is clear—physical activity during pregnancy (under medical supervision) has benefits for both mom and baby!
Cloth diapering is making a comeback with modern parents due to its many benefits to the environment, the budget, and baby’s comfort. There is a common misconception that cloth diapering requires a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be that hard.
If you are prepared – both with your supplies and knowledge of what to expect – just about every parent can succeed with cloth diapering.
Types of Cloth Diapers
In order to be prepared, you will need to know that there are actually several types of cloth diapers. While they all work in a similar manner, the type you choose can make a difference in the ease of diapering and the impact on your overall budget.
There are two main components to a cloth diaper: the diaper itself and the insert. The insert is the absorbent part, making it necessary for keeping the outer diaper as clean as possible as well as your baby’s clothes.
Some diaper types – like flats that you have to fold and fasten yourself – aren’t as popular today as they were many years ago. Most parents today opt for something more modern, like the pocket diaper or sleeve diaper (both work the same way), which fits like a disposable with a small pocket to slip the absorbent insert into.
All-in-one diapers are the premium choice for parents who want a quick and easy diaper change. They just have one part with no insert to deal with. The biggest downside to these, however, is the fact that they take so long to dry since the absorbent part is very thick.
You may choose to take a step down and go with a two-in-one diaper. They are easier than other diapers with inserts that need to be folded since the insert is simply a piece that snaps into the diaper.
The Good
Cloth diapering can be a solution for common issues that affect you and your baby personally as well as issues that have a greater impact on the environment.
First, cloth diapering is eco-friendly. Yes, it may take a bit more water to wash them, but the big difference is found in the landfills. Though disposable diapers do break down with oxygen and sunlight, they don’t decompose very efficiently in a landfill. Using cloth diapers keeps our landfills cleaner.
Not only are cloth diapers easier on the landfills but they are also easier on the wallet. It may be a bit difficult to swallow the initial cost of supplies, but if you look at what it would cost to keep your child in disposable versus cloth diapers until they are ready to potty train, you would be looking at saving at least $1,000 (over a period of 2.5 years).
Finally, cloth diapering can be a solution for babies who may have sensitive skin or allergies. Disposable diapers can be scratchy and made with materials that can irritate the skin and make your baby fussy; cloth diapers are much softer. You can also wash cloth diapers with the same gentle detergents you use for your baby’s cloths to help eliminate irritants.
The Bad and The Ugly…And How to Make it Pretty
While all these things are well and good, there are still some inconveniences that come with cloth diapering. But if you know how to handle them or the tricks to make them easier, these inconveniences won’t bother you as much.
It is true that cloth diapers are a bit messier than disposable ones. They aren’t as absorbent (thanks to the absence of synthetic gels and substances that absorb liquid in disposables – a positive!) which means you may have a few more messes to clean up.
Diaper changes aren’t as easy either since you will have to scrape poop into the toilet and rinse diapers before you can put them in the laundry – not to mention how often you will have to do laundry in order to keep up with your diapering needs.
So, how do we make these things better?
First, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can ease your way into cloth diapering by just using disposables sometimes. You can also use a hybrid diaper which combines the best of both worlds – a washable cover with a flushable insert.
Flushable liners can also take the work out of scraping poop into the toilet. All you have to do is wrap up the dirty stuff and throw it in the toilet with the liner. Unless there’s a blowout, there’s no mess on the actual diaper to clean.
Is Cloth Diapering RIght for You?
The decision to cloth diaper is one only you can make. Every family is different.
There are many that still prefer the convenience of a disposable diaper. There’s no denying that they are easier to travel with and take a lot of the mess out of diaper changing. And there is nothing wrong with parents who make this decision; it is what works best for them.
Cloth diapering does take a little more commitment and discipline. But if you choose the right diaper for your lifestyle and have a good stock of them, cloth diapering can be just as easy as disposables.
